Pulsed remote plasma method and system

ABSTRACT

A system and method for providing pulsed excited species from a remote plasma unit to a reaction chamber are disclosed. The system includes a pressure control device to control a pressure at the remote plasma unit as reactive species from the remote plasma unit are pulsed to the reaction chamber.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The disclosure generally relates to vapor-phase methods and systems. More particularly, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to pulsed remote plasma methods and systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Remote plasma deposition systems, such as plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) systems and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) systems, as well as remote plasma etching and treatment systems can be used for a variety of purposes. For example, remote plasma deposition systems can be used to deposit thin films of material onto a substrate, and the remote plasma etching and treatment reactors can be used to etch material from a substrate, clean a reactor surface, treat a substrate surface, and/or treat a reactor surface.

In general, remote plasma systems include a reactor having a reaction chamber, one or more gas sources coupled to the reaction chamber, and a remote plasma source between one or more gas sources and the reaction chamber. Remote plasma systems are thought to be advantageous over thermal systems for some applications, because the remote plasma can generate excited reactive species at relatively low temperatures, allowing reactions to take place at effectively lower temperatures. Remote plasma systems may also be advantageous over direct plasma systems, because, unlike direct plasma systems, remote plasma systems do not form a plasma directly over a surface of a substrate or within a reaction chamber. As a result, surface damage to a substrate or reaction chamber that might otherwise occur in a direct plasma reactor can be reduced or eliminated.

Excited or energized species from a remote plasma reactor may desirably be pulsed to a reaction chamber. For example, a PEALD process typically includes pulsing a first reactant to a reaction chamber followed by a pulse of a second reactant, where the first reactant, the second reactant, or both may include species formed from a remote plasma.

One technique for providing a pulse of excited species from a remote plasma source to a reaction chamber includes pulsing the power to the remote plasma source. However, remote plasma units may require a lengthy pre-ignition step (e.g., in argon or nitrogen) for each power cycle. Thus, throughput on such systems may be relatively low.

Other techniques for providing a pulse of excited species from a remote plasma unit to a reaction chamber include switching a flow of excited species exiting the remote plasma unit from the reactor input to a vacuum source or bypass for each pulse. However, remote plasma sources are typically designed to operate at steady-state conditions, where a flow rate of gasses to the plasma source and an operating pressure of the plasma source are held relatively constant. Even slight variations in flow rates or pressure may cause significant changes in the plasma and therefore the reactive species exiting the remote plasma unit—or even extinguish the plasma. Thus, diverting the flow from a reactor to a vacuum source or bypass affects the characteristics of the effluent from the remote plasma unit and may cause the plasma to extinguish.

Accordingly, improved methods and systems for providing a pulse of excited species from a remote plasma source to a reaction chamber are desired.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved methods and systems for providing pulsed excited species from a remote plasma unit to a reaction chamber. Exemplary methods and systems control a pressure at the remote plasma unit as the excited species are pulsed to the reaction chamber. While the ways in which the various drawbacks of the prior art are discussed in greater detail below, in general, the methods and systems described herein provide remote plasma systems having a relatively high throughput, which are capable of maintaining steady-state plasma conditions at the remote plasma unit while pulsing excited or activated species generated with the remote plasma unit to the reaction chamber.

In accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure, a remote plasma system includes a reactor having a reaction chamber, a remote plasma unit fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber and to a vacuum source, a pressure control device in fluid communication with and interposed between the remote plasma unit and the vacuum source, wherein the pressure control device controls an operating pressure of the remote plasma unit; and a control valve between the remote plasma unit and the reaction chamber to pulse species from the remote plasma unit to the reaction chamber. The reactor may be, for example, a plasma-enhance chemical vapor deposition reactor, a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition reactor, a plasma-enhanced etch reactor, a plasma-enhanced clean reactor, or a plasma-enhanced treatment reactor. In accordance with various aspects of these embodiments, the system further includes a controller coupled to the pressure control device and/or the control valve to maintain a desired operating pressure of the remote plasma unit. In accordance with further aspects, the system includes one or more flow control units (e.g., mass flow controllers) to control flow rates of one or more gasses to the remote plasma unit. In accordance with further aspects, the pressure control device is a closed-loop pressure controller than controls a gas pressure upstream of the pressure control device. In accordance with additional aspects, the control valve is a fast-response pneumatic valve. And, in accordance with yet additional aspects, the system further comprises an integrated inlet manifold block between the remote plasma unit and the reactor.

In accordance with additional exemplary embodiments of the invention, a method for providing excited or activated species to a reaction chamber of a reactor includes the steps of providing a first gas to the remote plasma unit, controlling a pressure of the remote plasma unit; forming a plasma in a remote plasma unit, and pulsing a first excited species to the reaction chamber, while maintaining steady-state conditions for the remote plasma unit—such that power is not turned on and off to pulse the excited species and/or the remote plasma unit does not experience significant changes in pressure during the pulsing. Exemplary methods in accordance with these embodiments can be used for depositing material onto a surface of a substrate, etching a material on a surface of a substrate, cleaning a surface of a substrate, treating a surface of a substrate, treating a surface of the reaction chamber, or cleaning a surface of the reaction chamber. In accordance with various aspects of these embodiments, the method additionally includes providing a second reactant to the remote plasma unit to form a second excited species and pulsing the second excited species to the reaction chamber. In accordance with further aspects, the step of controlling a pressure of the pressure control device comprises using a closed-loop upstream pressure controller. In accordance with further aspects, the step of forming a plasma in a remote plasma unit includes forming a plasma using a unit selected from the group consisting of an inductively coupled plasma unit and a microwave unit. In accordance with yet further aspects, the step of pulsing the first excited species and/or the step of pulsing the second excited species to the reaction chamber includes controlling a valve between the remote plasma unit and the reaction chamber.

In accordance with yet additional embodiments of the invention, a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system, such as a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition reactor includes a deposition reactor comprising a reaction chamber, a remote plasma unit fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber and to a vacuum source, a first reactant source coupled to the remote plasma unit, a pressure control device in fluid communication with and interposed between the remote plasma unit and the vacuum source, wherein the pressure control device controls an operating pressure of the remote plasma unit, and a control valve between the remote plasma unit and the reaction chamber. In accordance with various aspects of these embodiments, the system further includes a controller coupled to the pressure control device and/or the control valve to maintain a desired operating pressure of the remote plasma unit. In accordance with further aspects, the system includes one or more flow control units to control flow rates of one or more gasses to the remote plasma unit. In accordance with further aspects, the pressure control device is a closed-loop pressure controller than controls a gas pressure upstream of the pressure control device. In accordance with additional aspects, the control valve is a fast-response pneumatic valve. And, in accordance with yet additional aspects, the system further comprises an integrated inlet manifold block between the remote plasma unit and the reactor.

Both the foregoing summary and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure or the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

A more complete understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the following illustrative figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

It will be appreciated that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The description of exemplary embodiments of methods and systems provided below is merely exemplary and is intended for purposes of illustration only; the following description is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure or the claims. Moreover, recitation of multiple embodiments having stated features is not intended to exclude other embodiments having additional features or other embodiments incorporating different combinations of the stated features.

The method and system include use of a remote plasma unit that operates at substantially steady-state conditions, even when gas-phase reactant(s) from the remote plasma unit are pulsed to a reaction chamber of a reactor by switching a flow of the reactants(s) between the reaction chamber and a vacuum source. Because the remote plasma unit operates at substantially steady-state conditions, throughput of the system is increased and uniformity of activated species is increased. The terms activated species and excited species are used interchangeably herein.

Turning now to FIG. 1, an exemplary remote plasma system 100, for providing steady-state operation of a remote plasma, is illustrated. System 100 includes a reactor 102, including a reaction chamber 104, a substrate holder 106, a gas distribution system 108, a remote plasma unit 110, a vacuum source 112, a first reactant gas source 114, optionally a second reactant gas source 116, an inert gas source 118, optionally one or more additional reactant gas sources 120, optionally a purge gas source 122, one or more flow controllers 124-132, a control valve 134, a pressure control device 136, and optionally a controller 138 coupled to control valve 134 and/or pressure control device 136. System 100 may also optionally include an integrated inlet manifold block 140.

Reactor 102 may be used to deposit material onto and/or etch material from a surface of a substrate 142. Reactor 102 may be a standalone reactor or part of a cluster tool. Further, reactor 102 may be dedicated to deposition, etch, clean, or treatment processes as described herein, or reactor 102 may be used for multiple processes—e.g., for any combination of deposition, etch, clean, or treatment processes.

For example, reactor 102 may include a reactor typically used for plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and/or plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) processing. Although not illustrated, system 100 may additionally include thermal excitation for one or more reactants.

Substrate holder 106 is designed to hold substrate or workpiece 142 in place during processing. In accordance with various exemplary embodiments, holder 106 may form part of a direct plasma circuit. Additionally or alternatively, holder 106 may be heated, cooled, or be at ambient process temperature during processing.

Although gas distribution system 108 is illustrated in block form, gas distribution system 108 may be relatively complex and be designed to mix vapor (gas) from sources 114, 116, 120 and/or carrier/purge gases from one or more sources 118, 122 prior to distributing the gas mixture to reaction chamber 104. Further, system 108 may be configured to provide vertical (as illustrated) or horizontal flow of gasses to the chamber 104. An exemplary gas distribution system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,152,922. By way of example, distribution system 108 may include a showerhead.

Remote plasma unit 110 is a remote plasma device that includes a reaction chamber and at least two electrodes coupled to a power source, which is capable of forming a plasma. By way of particular examples, remote plasma unit may be an inductively coupled plasma unit or a microwave remote plasma unit. The plasma is used to form activated species, such as ions or radicals from gas sources 114-118.

Vacuum source 112 may include any suitable vacuum source capable of providing a desired pressure in reaction chamber 104. Vacuum source 112 may include, for example, a dry vacuum pump alone or in combination with a turbo molecular pump. Although illustrated with reactor 102 and remote plasma unit 110 coupled to the same vacuum source, reactor 102 and remote plasma unit 110 may suitably be coupled to separate vacuum sources.

Reactant gas sources 114, 116, and 120 may each include one or more gases, or materials that become gaseous, that are used in deposition, etch, clean, or treatment processes. Exemplary gas sources include, for example, N₂/H₂, NH₃, UDMH (1,1-Dimethylhydrazine), and MMH (Monomethylhydrazine) for transition metal nitrides; methane, ethane, ethylene, and acetylene for transition metal carbides and H₂O, H₂O₂, and H₂/O₂ for metal oxides.

Inert source 118 and purge gas 122 include one or more gases, or materials that become gaseous, that are relatively unreactive in reactor 102. Exemplary inert and purge gasses include nitrogen, argon, helium, and any combinations thereof.

Flow controllers 124-132 may include any suitable device for controlling gas flow. For example, flow controllers 124-132 may be mass flow controllers.

Control valve 134 is positioned between remote plasma unit 110 and reaction chamber 104. During operation of system 100, control valve 134 opens and closes to pulse excited species from remote plasma unit 110 to reaction chamber 104. Valve 134 may be controlled using controller 138 and may be operated independently of process control device 136 or in coordination with process control device 136 to facilitate steady-state operation of remote plasma unit 110. By way of example, control valve 134 is a fast-response diaphragm pneumatic valve.

Pressure control device 136 controls pressure upstream of device 136, such that remote plasma unit 110 can operate under steady-state conditions as activated species from remote plasma unit 110 are pulsed to reaction chamber 104—e.g., using control valve 134 to pulse the activated species to reaction chamber 104. Pressure control device 136 may include any suitable device that controls an upstream pressure. By way of example, pressure control device 136 is a closed-loop pressure controller, such as MKS model 640A pressure controller. Alternatively, pressure control device may include a throttle valve.

In the illustrated example, pressure control valve 136 and control valve 134 are controlled (opened and closed) using controller 138. Alternatively, control valve 136 and control valve 134 may suitably be independently controlled. However, controlling both devices with a common controller may be advantageous to better control the pressure at remote plasma unit 110.

Optional integrated inlet manifold block 140 is designed to receive and distribute one or more gasses to reaction chamber 104. An exemplary integrated inlet manifold block 140 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,918,938 to Provencher et al., issued Apr. 5, 2011, entitled “High Temperature ALD Inlet Manifold,” the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, to the extent the contents do not conflict with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 of for providing excited species to a reaction chamber of a reactor. Method 200 includes the steps of: providing a first gas to the remote plasma unit (step 202), controlling a pressure of the remote plasma unit (step 204), forming a plasma in a remote plasma unit (step 206), and pulsing a first excited species to the reaction chamber (step 208). As illustrated, method 200 may also include optional steps of purging the reaction chamber (step 210), providing a second reactant to the remote plasma unit to form a second excited species (step 212) and pulsing the second excited species to the reaction chamber (step 214). Method 200 may be used to deposit material onto a substrate, etch material from a surface of a substrate or reaction chamber, clean a substrate or portions of a reactor, and/or treat a surface of a substrate or a surface within a reactor. For example, method 200 may be used for PECVD and/or PEALD deposition processes and/or for etch or clean processes to etch material from a substrate or clean a portion of a reactor—e.g., a reactor fore line or other area that requires etching, cleaning, or treatment.

During step 202, one or more gasses are provided to a remote plasma unit (e.g., remote plasma unit 110). The gasses provided during step 202 may include one or more reactant gasses and/or one or more inert gasses.

During step 204, an operating pressure of a remote plasma unit is controlled using an upstream pressure controller, such as pressure control device 136, described above. The pressure may desirably be controlled by a closed-loop pressure controller.

Step 206 includes forming a plasma in a remote plasma unit, such as remote plasma unit 110. A plasma may be formed by flowing one or more gasses (e.g., from one or more of sources 114-118), providing a suitable pressure in remote plasma unit 110 (e.g., using vacuum source 112 and pressure control device 136, and providing a sufficient electrical field across the one or more gasses within remote plasma unit 110. A plasma may initially be formed using an inert gas (e.g., from source 118) or may be formed with a reactant gas 114 and/or 116.

During step 208, reactive species from a remote plasma source (e.g., remote plasma unit 110) are pulsed to a reaction chamber—e.g., using control valve 134. As noted above, valve 134 and pressure control device may be simultaneously controlled using one or more controllers, such that as valve 134 allows increased or decreased flow to a reaction chamber, pressure control device 136 maintains a pressure at the remote plasma unit.

During step 210, a reaction chamber of a system is purged—e.g., using gas from purge gas source 122.

During optional steps 212 and 214 a second gas—e.g., a first or second reactant gas is supplied to the remote plasma unit and a second excited species is provided to the reaction chamber.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth herein, it should be appreciated that the disclosure is not so limited. For example, although the system and method are described in connection with various specific chemistries, the disclosure is not necessarily limited to these examples. Various modifications, variations, and enhancements of the system and method set forth herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A remote plasma system comprising: a reactor comprising a reaction chamber; a remote plasma unit fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber and to a vacuum source; a pressure control device in fluid communication with and interposed between the remote plasma unit and the vacuum source, wherein the pressure control device controls an operating pressure of the remote plasma unit located upstream of the pressure control device; a control valve between the remote plasma unit and the reaction chamber to pulse species from the remote plasma unit to the reaction chamber; and a controller coupled to the pressure control device and to the control valve, the controller configured to simultaneously control the pressure control device and the control valve, so that the remote plasma unit operates under steady-state conditions as the species are pulsed to the reaction chamber.
 2. The remote plasma system of claim 1, further comprising at least one flow control unit coupled to the remote plasma unit.
 3. The remote plasma system of claim 1, wherein the reactor is selected from the group consisting of a plasma-enhance chemical vapor deposition reactor, a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition reactor, a plasma-enhanced etch reactor, a plasma-enhanced clean reactor, and a plasma-enhanced treatment reactor.
 4. The remote plasma system of claim 1, wherein the pressure control device is a closed-loop pressure control device.
 5. The remote plasma system of claim 1, wherein the control valve is a fast-response pneumatic valve.
 6. The remote plasma system of claim 1, further comprising an integrated inlet manifold block to allow mixing of the species with another gas prior to the species and gas entering a gas distribution system.
 7. A remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system comprising: an atomic layer deposition reactor comprising a reaction chamber; a remote plasma unit in fluid communication with the reaction chamber and a vacuum source; a first reactant source in fluid communication with the remote plasma unit; a pressure control device in fluid communication with and interposed between the remote plasma unit and the vacuum source, wherein the pressure control device controls an operating pressure of the remote plasma unit located upstream of the pressure control device; a control valve between the remote plasma unit and the reaction chamber; and a controller coupled to the pressure control device and to the control valve, the controller configured to simultaneously control the pressure control device and the control valve, so that the remote plasma unit operates under steady-state conditions as species from the remote plasma unit are pulsed to the reaction chamber.
 8. The remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system of claim 7, wherein the pressure control device is a closed-loop pressure control device.
 9. The remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system of claim 7, further comprising an integrated manifold block to allow mixing of species generated by the remote plasma unit and another gas prior to entering a gas distribution system.
 10. The remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system of claim 9, wherein the gas distribution system comprises a showerhead.
 11. The remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system of claim 9, further comprising one or more flow controllers coupled to the integrated manifold block.
 12. The remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system of claim 9, further comprising one or more flow controllers fluidly coupled to the remote plasma unit. 